New version of vBulletin

[Hierophant]

Being as how this is your community, I would like feedback from all of you.

In the future we will be converting to vBulletin 2.0 when it is released. It currently has about 10 times the standard features as the version we are using now. Some features have been asked for before like:

• Private Messaging
• Polls
• Buddy List
• Better Search Options (currently being rewritten in the demo).

Some features are included here like the calendar and birthday field.

Others were available as hacks but are included in the new version like:

• Custom Forum View
• Multiple Styles and templates (selectable in your member control panel).
• Member Control Panel
• SubForums (would work good for Server-Side Scripting and other areas).

Needless to say there is a lot more that can be done in the new version. I can't say when we would upgrade because a release date hasn't been set but I feel that it won't be too far away. I would like everyone's opinion of the new version though so we can implement it as smoothly as possible into our community without sacrificing speed or the main functionality of posting discussions...

Please check out the demo and post your thoughts and ideas here. Make sure to go through as much as is available now. You can find the demo at http://beta.jelsoft.com, most of the features are only available to registered users.

[mjames]

It looks very nice, I can't wait for it to be implemented here.

[mkaufman]

Sounds great..

Just don't use sub forums please..I can't stand those.

[mkaufman]

Btw, version 2.0 will have support for different templates.

How about making a text only version of SitePointForums? I think that would be really good for the users with slower connections..like I'm on right now

[Fletch]

Hi,

Yeah V2 of VBulliten looks really cool. Does anyone know of the release date yet. I know they missed one which was a month or so ago but have they set a new one yet. Anyway the changes sound cool and only can be for the better

[PeterW]

* thinks vBulletin 2 sounds like bloatware
but cool none the less. I would certainly like to see a text only mode template. With "[n]" marking threads with new replies etc... but this is no excuse to make it ugly; I have seen some pretty nice sites in text only.

[Hierophant]

I plan on having at least 3 different styles for you to choose from on how the forums look. I hadn't thought about a text version but was going to work on a "Light" version of the forums.

SO far there will be a "Light" Version, The current version (with a few modifications) and a new version which is totally different.

The light version will as it is will almost be text only but not quite.

However vBulletin 2.0 is far from bloatware and not a true forum either. It is community software and the features of such. You will be able to utilize the features you want and ignore those that you don't. Combine this with customizable features such as page length and subscriptions and private messages, you can build your own custom look for the community.

[Justin S]

Sounds great! I can't wait until SPF upgrades. It'll be so awesome. When does v2 come out, and when does SPF plan to upgrade?

[Sparkie]

I don't think there is a scheduled release date for the release of VBulletin 2.0, but I'll bet that SP will nab it once its out

[TWTCommish]

If SP is wise (and we all know it is!), they'll probably wait a little while after the release - to make sure it doesn't crash and burn after other sites upgrade.

[Hierophant]

SitePoint is wise and will install it on a duplicate version of the Forums before unvailing it to the public.

Also even though most code modifications, I have made are included in the new version, things like Karma aren't as well as a few things here and there, plus there will most likely be major template editing that will have to take place before hand.

I will also keep an eye on those who install it within hours of release as well.

However I think that having watched the beta progress from a prenatal stage to where it is now, that the vBulletin team is doing a wonderful job squashing bugs.

[TWTCommish]

I'd have to agree, overall.

I personally don't mind subforums - I'm not nuts about them, but I'd probably just get used to them after awhile.

What do I think would REALLY make this a better site to be a part of?

- Polls
- The Buddy List
- Private Messenging

I know what you're thinking: "Those are the obvious ones!" - other than that, the big ones would have to be...

- The ability to receive email notifications without posting in a thread ("Subscribing to a Thread" - I think that's what the vBulletin people are calling it. I think it'll be included in the next release).
- An email notification management center in the Member Control Panel - I don't know if this is planned for vBulletin 2.0 - but I sure hope it is!

[Smarky]

Sounds to me like a lot of useless features that are not needed.

[TWTCommish]

It's not about need - we don't need anything other than a plain old threaded forum with blue links that turn purple once you've visited them - no graphics, no member ilst, no search feature, no calendar, multiple forums.

That doesn't mean, however, that they're not nice to have. It's all about convienece - and I think things like PMs are great in case you want to contact a member who has disabled their email - as many have! Several times I've wanted to email someone here, but could not, despite them coming here now and then.

[James]

Well Jelsoft have just released 1.1.5 yesterday. No new features, only a couple of bug fixes. Is SP going to upgrade, or wait until v2?

[Park T]

Just a suggestion to SitePoint. I think you should just wait for V2 and not bother with the 1.1.5. You can fix the bugs with hacks that have come out I think.

[Hierophant]

There are three security Exploits in version 1.1.4 that require an upgrade to 1.1.5. The upgrade has already been installed.

[joe1275]

I noticed SitePoint's changed from UBB to Vbulletin. Are they really different? Can anyone help me choose between UBB and Vbulletin? My Web site is currently hosted on a Windowns server. Can Vbulletin be instaled there?

[Hierophant]

Originally posted by joe1275
I noticed SitePoint's changed from UBB to Vbulletin. Are they really different? Can anyone help me choose between UBB and Vbulletin? My Web site is currently hosted on a Windowns server. Can Vbulletin be instaled there?

vBulletin is

• More stable
• Faster
• More scalable (built in support for billions of messages)
• Easier to customize through templates
• Easier to maintain
• Faster in searching (just try a search here and then one on a UBB site).
• easier to code for.

The current top vBulletin Hackers (well now they are on the development team) used to be the top UBB hackers. Most people who run medium to large UBB's are converting to vBulletin. It has an automatic import feature to support this.

You can find out more in the forums at http://vbulletin.com/forum/. Just do a search on UBB.

[James Smith]

i think vb2 is bloatware definately. its just starting to go over the top with extra unneeded features. even if there is an option to turn it on or off in the CP, its still going to be included in the code, hence a longer download time.

J

[Freddie]

vBulletin Developer here...

i think vb2 is bloatware definately. its just starting to go over the top with extra unneeded features. even if there is an option to turn it on or off in the CP, its still going to be included in the code, hence a longer download time.

Does it have A LOT of features over v1.1.5? Yes

Is that a bad thing? (tm) No

Your browser does not download the .php code so you do not get longer load times because the code has a zillion if (this) else (that) statements in it. The PHP engine running on the server compiles the .php page when you request it and only sends the output (html) to you. If the server uses a cache system than is is compiled and stored so it doesn't even compile it every time a page is requested. Are there more queries now to support all these extra features? Yes but if you turn a feature off than the query is also not executed anymore. I'm sure some of you consider the calendar, the karma system, the chat, etc to be bloated uneeded features because you do not use them and only want to become one with the message system. The majority of forum users are not power users and enjoy these added features which we hope to make part of vBulletin in the future to make it a more comprehensive community package.